As the Sun Will Rise: One Year Later
by helplesslynerdy
Summary: First anniversary; first fight. A sequel to "As the Sun Will Rise."


The car spluttered and came to a complete stop, smoke billowing from under the bonnet.

Rose pushed the hair that the wind was ruffling out of her face. "If you had only taken this into town, like I said you should, this wouldn't have happened."

"I knew what I was doing, Rose, it was just the quality of the parts!" Cian slammed the door of his blue Triumph Dolomite Roadster. He threw open the bonnet and jumped back as a wave of steam and smoke blew out.

Rose set her jaw, not willing to let this go. "No, you just refuse to think that there is something mechanical beyond you."

"There is nothing wrong with my abilities! The carburetor was obviously the wrong model. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that Adam bloke."

"Don't try and blame this on him!" Rose interjected. A rush of wind suddenly gusted past them and they found themselves in the midst of a downpour. "Oh, perfect." Rose rummaged in the back of the car for their umbrella. "Where's the umbrella?"

"I thought you brought it."

Rose whirled around. "No! That was your responsibility!"

"How can you expect me to remember everything? I've got my hands quite full with this hospital project you dropped in my lap."

"'Dropped in your lap'? We agreed that we should do this together!"

"No, I couldn't take those eyes anymore." Cian waved his finger in the general direction of her face, which would normally have looked funny, but Rose could not see past her anger and frustration.

Neither was paying attention to the rain that was sopping through their clothes. It was technically still early spring, but it had been unseasonably warm and they had decided to go on a late afternoon drive. The hospital had been taking up a lot of their time. It had also been wearing on them, as Cian had only taken a small involvement in the actual medical part.

Cian had insisted on taking the Roadster, though Rose knew that the car still needed a few more repairs. Rose now was holding her coat up over her head, trying to keep from being soaked completely through.

"Oh, so now you were just placating me?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice gone quiet. "No, Rose."

"Well, that's what it sounds like! 'Couldn't take my eyes'? I thought we were a team. 'Better with two.' I didn't know you were just trying to shut me up." Rose got out of the car, slamming the door.

"Now where are you going?"

"I'm going to go get some help. Maybe I can hail an oncoming driver. Otherwise, it's seven miles into the village. You can stay here with your dame."

Cian looked between the two. Rose huffed and rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth as she turned and started walking down the muddy road. He quickly pulled a tarp from the boot and covered the car interior to keep it from ruining completely and ran after her.

"Don't walk away from me like that."

"You've been running from me for the past few weeks," she shot back.

"What?" Cian spluttered.

"It's been like we've gone back to where we began. I would have thought it was the Year that Never Was. You've been moody, irritable, and mean- just like you were when I first came here."

He stopped, while she continued walking. "Did you ever think that maybe it would be hard for me to return to that?" Rose stopped without turning, and he continued. "All the memories and…losses that would bring up? Did you think it would be easy?"

She finally turned to him. "But you aren't alone anymore. There's me."

"It's never that easy or simple."

Angry tears started running down Rose's face and she began walking again.

It wasn't until a few moments later that she could hear him slogging behind her, but he never caught up to her.

The Brigadier came and picked them up as soon as they were able to call him. He glanced back to the back seat every so often, noting how the two that normally were at least holding hands were sitting as far apart as physically possible.

They returned home, and Rose went immediately to their room to change. Cian went in the way of his lab, where he had an emergency shower and a change of clothes- usually kept due to his penchant for causing small explosions.

Rose took a long soak in the tub and even had to refill a couple of times. She then ate the sandwich that Sarah Jane had brought up right after they had returned and finally crawled into their bed at two in the morning. They very rarely fought, but when they did, it was always a passionate blowout. But usually the arguments blew over as quickly as they began. Today was different. She had not seen her husband since they went divergent ways in the hallway after returning.

After tossing and turning a few times, she realized that she would not be able to sleep. Her bed felt empty without him beside her. She rolled to her side, trying her best to at least relax, when she heard the door open. She recognized his footfall as he walked to his wardrobe and began to undress. She heard him take a few hesitant steps towards the bed and then stop. Rose closed her eyes, bit her lip, and then reached her hand out behind her. After a moment, she heard him approach and felt him take her hand. He got into the bed and spooned up behind her. Tears fell hot against her cheeks as he nuzzled her hair. Rose guided the hand he was still holding and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Without speaking, they both drifted to sleep.

Rose awoke to see an afternoon sun slowly drifting towards the horizon. She had slept almost the entire day away. She rolled over to find that Cian had left. She wasn't surprised, her husband was a bit of an insomniac, but he would usually come back and be with her when she woke up. There was a bit of paper lying on his pillow. She picked it up and read in Cian's hasty chicken-scratch:

 _I am sorry, love._

 _Whenever you get up, I want to make it up to you._

 _There's a little something for you in your wardrobe. Meet me in the library._

Rose got up from her bed and then heard a soft knock. She pulled on her dressing gown and laughed as she called, "Come in, Sarah Jane."

Sarah Jane had a knowing smile as she came in the door.

"I hope he did not make you wait out there all day."

"Oh no, was only there a few minutes. It was himself sitting out there all day, making a mess with his tinkering. Him and Luke, both." Sarah shook her head.

Rose smiled. Cian had taken such an interest in mentoring the boy. As aggravating as he had been lately, he had not ignored him in that time.

Sarah pulled out a few combs and brushes. "Do you need help with your hair?"

"No. I think I'll do whatever is needed myself." Rose then looked at Sarah Jane conspiratorially. "Just what does he have planned, now?"

"I was told I would be thrown out, but very gently, if I were to divulge anything."

Rose rolled her eyes indulgently. "Well, it better be good to get him out of trouble this time."

"Quite." Sarah winked at Rose and then left the room.

Rose stood and walked over to her wardrobe, finally curious enough to look. Ever since she was first given that gown, it had become a little thing between them- whenever he would take her on a small weekend adventure, he would leave appropriate attire in her wardrobe. She had once opened it to find a pair of coveralls and boots in her size so they could go pick up machinery that he had ordered. _If he's left another pair of those for me to help him go get the car, he better know he's got another thing coming._

She opened the wardrobe to find an elegantly simple red velvet dress. The shoulders had multiple folds of fabric that dipped down into a relatively modest v-neckline. Just a little peekaboo. The rest of the dress fell below her knees. She grinned as she saw the red pumps with a strap around the ankle there to match.

Rose decided to just loosely curl her hair and pin up one side with a black comb that had the carving of a wolf. The ornate, slightly odd, piece of jewelry had been wedged inside the bonnet of Cian's car. Rose had found it one day when she was helping him. _"You looked inside her heart and found a wolf, albeit a bad one,"_ he had joked. It had become special just because it was something just between the two of them.

The ballroom was now housing about twenty wounded soldiers, so she knew they would not be taking supper in there. Perhaps he was taking her into the village for the evening. As she entered the library, she gasped softly. A small table had been set for dinner with flickering candlelight. The furniture had been moved to the sides of the room so there was a large open space beside the table. She then saw him, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. He was wearing a black pinstriped suit with a blue tie. He had left his hair in its normal disarray that he knew she loved.

Cian cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I know that I shouldn't have been such a twit for the past few weeks, and you are right, I just didn't know how to handle it all- rude and not ginger, that's me." He tugged on his wonky ear. "I know that I haven't been treating you the way you deserve, in fact, I don't think I will ever deserve you- but I wanted to give you this. And it's not because you were mad! I was planning this weeks ago-"

Rose had finally reached him, laying her fingers over his lips to silence his babbling. "I'm sorry. I was wrong, too. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard without considering how difficult it must be for you."

He kissed her fingertips softly before she removed them. "Happy anniversary?"

"Happy anniversary." She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

He held her for a moment before murmuring, "The food's getting cold." Rose gave him a watery chuckle before she followed him to the table.

After finishing their dinner, Cian rose and turned on a small radio. "Moonlight Serenade" began to echo in the vaulted ceilings. "Dance with me, Rose Tyler?" He continued to call her by her maiden name, saying it rolled off the tongue much better than her new legal name. He held her impossibly close and began leading her around the floor.

Rose pulled back to be able to look him in the face. "This reminds me a bit of another evening we had together."

He hummed noncommittally.

"A new dress." Cian's eyes swept over her appreciatively and she felt a flush build in her chest. "Dinner and dancing?" she pressed.

He finally looked into her eyes. "Yes. I also seemed to remember that that night ended poorly. That I would very much like to rectify."

"It's perfect." Rose whispered, leaning her head against his chest. They danced through a few more songs and then Billie Holiday's 'All of Me' began to play. The second time Billie Holiday crooned "Take my lips, I want to lose them," Cian's eyes dropped to Rose's mouth before pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

Rose leaned back, raising a hand to gently run her fingernails over his sideburn. "Is this where I'm supposed to run away tearfully?" she teased.

"No," he practically growled, drawing her closer. "How long did you promise to stay with me?"

The jesting left her eyes as she breathed, "Forever." She ran a fingertip down the cleft in his chin, a now-familiar gesture. "My Doctor."

He again captured her mouth, but this time more passionately. Rose pulled away first, a coy smile playing at her lips. "This all you had planned?"

He smirked down at her while shaking his head to the negative. He then took her hand, and said one word. Just one word. He said, "Run!"


End file.
